The Watchmakers latest release, The Misanthrope, is a cordial piece of pop-rock as scatterbrained as it is instrumentally- catchy. This isn’t a bad thing, necessarily.

The very first track, “Re: Split My Side,” front-loads the entire affair with the albums best track. It’s a catchy, sharp song with hooks to spare and every member on-point and tight. The album remains tight up to about the halfway mark when you can feel the band loosening up. For some bands this could be a good thing; but in this instance them getting loose means they start getting a bit sloppy.

Instrumentation is still tight, but you get the feeling that this would have made a better EP than a full-album. The whole middle of the album feels like filler between an excellent front and book-end.